… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

Blood Simple

Free on:

Hulu Plus

Hulu Summary:Blood Simple A bar owner in Texas is certain his wife is cheating on him and hires a private detective. This is just the beginning of a complex plot, full of misunderstandings and deceit. Ethan and Joel Cohen’s first feature film.

We at Fetchland are aware that it’s not Wednesday but figure you’d appreciate this if you’re looking for a free bit of entertainment and the Super Bowl isn’t your bag. Did we mention that this one’s free if you’re a Hulu Plus subscriber? Rather than shell out beaucoup dinero to see the new Cohen brothers movie, “Hail Caesar” you can stay home, snuggle up on the couch with your boo, and watch their first film for freezies. Given that this 1984 gem, “Blood Simple” has a 94% fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com and “Hail Caesar” currently looms around 79% for critics and a mere 41% among audience fresh rating, watching this might be the best decision you make all week. But let’s not leave your decision entirely up to Rottentomatoes.com. We here at Fetchland have thoroughly vetted this flick for you and we’re here to tell you that it’s not all hot tomato air. This dark comedy noir thriller with violence and sex and all that good stuff truly earns the “thriller” part – it’s thrilling with a tightly constructed story, witty dialogue, mischievous characters, and clever directing. Also, it’s cool to see the first in a series of twenty five films these director brothers have made together thus far in their thirty year careers. They traversed so many genres and styles, it’s interesting to note that these so-called “genre breakers” started, with a noir comedy thriller.

There’s a sublime perfection in all the things that go terribly wrong in the diabolical storyline of “Blood Simple”. Deaths are misidentified along with culprits and mistaken identities. All information’s delivered with such elegant simplicity that the only entity with a clear understanding of what’s happening is us, the audience, and even we get a bit hazy at times. Essentially, this is a thriller with themes of trust and double-dealing. Every character has an agenda and these are intense characters. Even the seemingly indifferent Ray, a bartender with the aloof monotone of a Texas Instruments calculator (Texas because that’s the location) cares deeply and acts rashly just like the rest of them. But the best is definitely M. Emmett Walsh who plays the private detective with such devilish glee that we find ourselves cheering for him even as he breaks every moral code we’ve ever believed and not even in a nice way.

Most of the crucial story elements are told in a wholly visual way, so there’s not a lot of dialogue and you really must pay attention or you’ll miss critical plot points. You won’t want to take your eyes away from the screen anyway because this is a beautiful movie. From the striking young Frances McDormand to the stunning cinematography… it’s visually gripping. The story also won’t let go and you’ll get caught up in all the misunderstandings and stakes. The characters don’t have a clue what’s going on and the audience gets treated with lots of surprises too. Many people die and it’s always unexpected. There’s not a predictable turn of events in the pack here, other than some adulterous sex you’ll see coming. But the whole thing is so masterfully done that you’ll be gasping and wincing and loving every minute.

This unique kind of brilliance happens when artists have complete control over their work and it’s an inspiring experience for any would-be screenwriters and filmmakers out there to watch. The Cohen brothers wrote, directed, and produced “Blood Simple” for only 1.5 million and it still holds up now, thirty years later, as one of their best. In fact, it stands as one of the best movies of its genre, managing to balance the gruesome storyline with hilarious visual and dialogue wisecracks. We can’t help but have a good time even as character after character bites the dust in a bloody mess right before our delighted eyes.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

“Blink” (Doctor Who)

Free on:

Netflix

Netflix Summary:Blink People are mysteriously vanishing in 2007 England while the Doctor is stranded in 1969, forcing him to send codes to a stranger in order to escape.

Note that I just picked the episode “Blink” (the 11th episode of the third series of the 2005 reboot) and not the entire span of Doctor Who available on Netflix and other formats.

Why?

Because “Blink” is just one episode; it’s just one hour — nay forty-three minutes — of your life. Just the current incarnation of Doctor Who — the re-launch post-2005 — is nine seasons series of commitment already, and that doesn’t count the spin-offs like Torchwood or Sarah Jane Adventures.

But what about those forty-three minutes?

They will be forty-three minutes well-spent.

“Blink” is hands-down the best episode of Doctor Who, and one of the finest single episodes of any television show, ever. It is scary, inventive, constantly surprising, and defies every trope of a long-established television formula.

Doctor Who is a show driven by a very peculiar character with a very specific set of abilities, his travels, and his companions.

That character is barely in the episode.

The Doctor is a time traveler, you see, and, off-camera somehow got stuck in 1969. He is able to communicate with the episode’s protagonist Sally Sparrow in 2007… Because he knows where she is going to be and what is going to happen later thanks to his mastery, and very long view of, time. He leaves her notes to duck because he knows that right after she reads the note a projectile will be flying towards her head. He leaves her Easter Eggs and half-conversations in old video clips because he knows when and where she will end up watching them, and even paces so she can have the other half of the conversation with him.

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear / non-subjective viewpoint it’s more like a big ball of wibbley-wobbly timey-wimey… stuff.”
-The Doctor

“Blink”‘s communication strategies encompass some of the most inventive uses of “time travel” in the history of the series, and allow Sally Sparrow — played by the widely celebrated Carey Mulligan — to both draw on the Doctor’s superior knowledge and stumble through the adventure like the neophyte she is… Almost as if writer Stephen Moffat cast the average viewer as one of the Doctor’s companions.

Sally, a seemingly unremarkable girl, is tasked with outmaneuvering the Weeping Angels in their first chronological appearance in the series. The Weeping Angels have since become maybe the most compelling, creepiest, villains on the show; and “Blink” and its elements were instrumental in cementing Moffat as the A-Plus-Number-One writer of the relaunched television program.

As “Blink” is only forty-three minutes I don’t want to give away too much of it, so instead I’ve conscripted Wizards of the Coast R&D member Gavin Verhey to talk about “Blink” (which I first recommended on my Five With Flores back in 2010). Here’s what Gavin had to say:

“‘Blink’ changed my life.

“Years ago, I watched some of the Doctor Who reissue… and it just didn’t stick. I had essentially written the show off.

“The fun writing! The creative monsters! The clever use of time travel!

“And the most brilliant part: The titular character was barely involved so literally anybody could watch it out of context.

“It singlehandedly got me into the show, which in turn led to many new friends, experiences, and, of course, hours of entertainment then I would have ever had otherwise. If, like drivers ed, you had to take a class to get your permit for watching television, ‘Blink’ would be part of the syllabus. ‘Blink’ is as close as it comes to required-television-watching: you don’t have to watch Doctor Who, but you do need to watch ‘Blink’.

Out there is some universe where Gavin Verhey never watched ‘Blink’ and stayed away from the show — and I’m glad the Doctor showed up with a dose of time travel to correct this timeline… Even if it means I’ll never look at statues the same way again.”

This episode is jam-paked with awesome. If you look away you might miss something.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

Standup: Five Sure Things

Free on:

Netflix

If you’ve ever been to Times Square in NYC then you’ve invariably been asked the question, “Do you like comedy?” by some otherwise unemployable handing out allegedly free tickets to standup shows that are nowhere near Times Square. It’s not really free because there’s a two drink minimum and the drinks are $20 each but YOU said you like comedy. See that’s the trick. It’s a trick question, isn’t it? Everybody likes to laugh. It’s human nature to like comedy. The lure’s a sure thing with those Times Square fisherman using loaded questions as bait.

We deliver this What’s Free Wednesday as a fetchland version of “Do you like comedy?” only in our case we’ll actually deliver great free laughs and you can drink or not as you choose. With the understanding that we all love to laugh and some peeps are just better at delivering the comedy goods than others, we’ve composed a list of the best standup on Netflix. They’re all guaranteed hilarious – Sure Things and we’ll even give you a little blurb for each to tell you why. Are they in any particular order? Hell, yeah they are – best is #1, as it should be. The world is chaotic enough. Even so… all five are fantastic.

1. John Mulaney: New in Town

Mulaney has mastered storytelling with a voice all his own and even though they’re uniquely John’s, each story’s so well told it feels like home. When he talks about Law & Order Special Victims Unit you’ll realize he’s a true bro who lives in the same afternoon TV watching universe you enjoy. Many of his comedic observations are such perfection you actually can’t believe you never articulated these things you’ve always thought. Mulaney’s Trump joke is so remarkably apt and funny it will hold strong through all of Trump’s future media adventures. In fact, this whole standup special stays funny with repeated viewing and it’s certainly destined to be a classic. Best news of all – John Mulaney has a new special coming out on Netflix November 13th called The Comeback Kid. We can’t wait!

2. Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain

First things first, fast forward fifteen minutes to get to the standup act because the beginning is all what a long road it’s been becoming the amazeballs magical comedy man Kevin Hart story stuff. Let’s just get straight to the funny – right? And once you do, there’s still an entire hour of laughing your buttocks off. Hart talks about personal finances and his personal life; including unforgettable stories portraying his hilarious cokehead Dad and vengeful funeral attendees. What makes him special is that Kevin puts his whole heart out there on stage and keeps it 100% real. He’s the kind of comic that makes you feel like you’re best friends out for the night having the most raucous good time ever.

3. Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe

You gotta love Gaffigan, the palest boy next door in the land. He’s got tons of kids and stories galore that are certain to ring true for anyone with a child. Yes, it’s all true. Going to Disney IS just like spending the day waiting in line at the DMV on the surface of the sun. His spiel on photos hits home and then Jim follows it up with hilarious body talk, the magic of black clothes, gym misbehavin’, and, of course… the glorious delights of food. Gaffigan’s real gift is that he can riff on and personify anything – even socks and make you laugh all the while. It’s a small world in Gaffigan’s comedy and his bit on hotels reminds us that even when we venture out into the big wide world we’re still all apparently staying at the same damn place.

4. Gary Gulman: In This Economy

Netflix, the discman, and The Karate Kid are just a few of the multifarious topics explored in this wonderful comedic adventure. A man so special that on his license it says “kind” next to “eyes,” Gulman sticks to his financial theme throughout and keeps us laughing. He shares his recession-busters with us and portrays a gut-busting hilarious conversation between Bill Gates and Trump. Gulman’s specialty lies in the specific details he reminds us about things forgotten, like the receipt paper from Jiffy Lube – perfect for keeping if you just happen to have a 35 ring binder at home. He’s got an awesome take on things with tightly woven stories that carry you away in an entirely new way of making many familiar topics so funny.

5. Aziz Ansari: Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening

This was Ansari’s premiere comedy special as standup and his enthusiasm is pure electricity. He does his character Raaaandy, a pretty close approximation to the gentleman Aziz, but still the character adds a little bit of fresh funny to the mix. Mainly his comedy comes from that amusing outrage burning within his special Aziz brand belly. His bit on bedding thread counts is a perfect example of this and it really gets the comedy rolling. The best part of this special is when he talks about messing with his cousin Harris. He really brings us into the Ansari world and how much fun it is to play there. There’s only one drawback to the special – some material, about R Kelly and Kanye for example, may get dated. But Aziz is clearly a comedy keeper and his flagship hour seals the deal.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

Veronica Mars

Free on:

Amazon Prime

Two uniformed police officers sit down across from one another, waiting to order, at a local doughnut shop. Behind them is a window looking out at the parking lot, and, prominently, their defenseless cruiser. Logan Echolls, the show’s admittedly-sometimes-uncontrollably-angry male lead paces up… And then starts bashing the cop car with a baseball bat!

Huh?

The police take a hurried look out the window, basically snap their necks meeting eyes, then dash off screen (presumably into action outside).

… The scene drops.

Does this scene make any sense?

Why did Logan do that?

Before you can finish processing the straightforward-yet-utterly-confusing action that just occurred you realize the truth: Bashing a cop car in doughnut shop parking lot makes plenty of sense if you’re trying to get thrown into jail. Awfully efficient, in fact.

The camera cuts to a local jail cell, where a pair of sexual predators lounge, bruised, waiting for trial. One of their intended victims was Logan’s best girl, the eponymous Veronica Mars. This second mini-scene ends with Logan flexing his fist in the foreground.

We’ve seen everything we have to.

These two short scenes — back to back — take maybe a minute; and together kind of sum up everything I like about my all-time favorite television show. The storytelling is super tight… Like I said, it takes maybe a minute. You’re confused, or at least disoriented, for a sec… But then it all makes sense (and no one has to explain anything to you, or even say a word). Most of all, it’s so completely unexpected (but, again, makes perfect sense contextually). It’s Veronica Mars in a single bite.

If you aren’t familiar with Veronica Mars, it’s basically Nancy Drew… If Nancy Drew were an asshole. Veronica is a young female detective (in high school in the first two seasons, college in the third), who solves cases and kicks up trouble. She is nominally the “hero” of the show, but one of the things I love about it is that while she pulls for the underdog… She isn’t all that squeaky clean. Veronica is a master manipulator, often solving her problems via blackmail or somehow getting leverage on her enemies or even allies. She works with a dangerous biker gang, is constantly humiliating the local constabulary, and can’t ever seem to do what her dear old dad asks.

She is a blue collar girl in a wealthy town, so there is a powerful undercurrent of class in the storytelling, about how wealth and privilege can swallow up justice, but also about how wealth and privilege are no guarantee of happiness. If you like Downton Abbey there might be something for you here.

But I think I fell in love that time Veronica infiltrated a video game club dressing up in a Japanese school girl costume, complete with high socks, necktie, and black wig. Her theory? Her mark there — whoever he was (she didn’t know yet) — would be unfamiliar with any girl who wasn’t “Japanimated”. So she got Japanimated! It is a show that clearly takes a mighty swing at girl power… While being able to laugh at these kinds of tropes and use every part of the buffalo.

While Veronica Mars typically treats one episode at a time, undoing a single injustice each week, each season builds slowly against a larger mystery. Witty dialogue and slow burning, sustained, world building are both strengths of this show; it is very much a “writers'” show, with wordsmiths and fiction fabricators among its most vocal fans. Its guest stars span Paris Hilton, a then-undiscovered Jessica Chastain, and even the Bluth kids from Arrested Development in a very different context. If you fancy yourself discerning — but will still appreciate a young Kristen Bell in a plaid miniskirt — you’ll probably like Veronica Mars.

BDM and I talk about television quite often on the Top 8 Magic podcast; one of our listeners — many years ago — suggested I try Veronica Mars after downloading one of those tv chats. Taking him up on his recommendation is one of my favorite things I ever took away from the podcast experience. I can’t recommend any show more highly… Plus, it’s free on Amazon Prime!

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

The Kids Are All Right

Free on:

Netflix

Married lesbians Nic and Jules, played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore respectively, each had a child using the same sperm donor years ago. The kids are now sixteen year old Laser and eighteen year old Joni – both curious about their biological father. This premise for The Kids Are All Right intrigues at the onset but the story only gets better after that and not just because said sperm donor happens to be the amazing Mark Ruffalo. He plays Paul, a bohemian restaurateur with a chill attitude and open heart. Bening’s Nic works as an OB/GYN and is the organizational neatnick of the family. Her wife, Jules, heretofore a housewife, now jumpstarts a landscaping business with the purchase of a beat up truck.

This big change for Jules, combined with her daughter Joni going away to college, soon makes for a potent elixir of insecurity and empty nest syndrome setting the couple off on an unpredictable path. And because it’s a Julianne Moore character, you know there will be nudity… and sex. While Jules spirals into uncharted territory, the kids, Joni and Laser, get to know their sperm donor daddy. At first they keep Paul from their parents, “the moms” but then a hilarious misunderstanding results in the moms finding out about Paul. From here forward The Kids Are All Right shifts with ease back and forth between funny and heartbreaking. The dialogue captures the way people actually talk with such accuracy you’ll forget this isn’t actually Julianne Moore and Annette Bening just hanging out in real life lesbian-style. Not only does the brilliant wordplay compel but the story brings to life the complexities and frailties of crazy contradictory real human behavior. This movie reminds you that as much as people totally don’t make sense… they also really do. The writing along with remarkable acting from the entire cast make the characters unforgettably real. They will undoubtedly remind you of people you know. The insightful characterizations and fresh take on what it means to make a family will capture your heart. There are no villains or heroes in this one, just perfectly cast A-list actors in top form playing characters so familiar they feel like family.

The Kids Are All Right was ahead of its time when it came out in 2010, already presuming a world of perfectly normal, long term, gay marriage. It was also just flat out one of the best comedies of that year, if not the best one, mainly because it’s so much more than funny. This story moves and enlightens you all while you’re laughing your ass off. And most of all you can’t help but care for these women and their beautifully imperfect pairing. The film inspires a wellspring of empathy for every character even while they clash with each other, maybe especially then.

Music also brings even more authentic emotion into the story with an exceptional soundtrack as well as a lovely rendition of Joni Mitchell sung acapella by a resplendent Annette Bening one fateful night with the whole lot of them gathered at the dinner table. That particular dinner just happens to be when the rubber meets the road for this family. The truth comes out and nothing will ever be the same but that doesn’t mean things won’t get better. One thing is for certain though, every character will change as a result and you’ll be pulling for each the whole way through.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

First Blood

Free on:

Netflix

It’s a telling fact that the movie First Blood appears incorrectly titled in your Netflix search. Also quite noteworthy is how low the rating is in Netflix, only two stars. But that’s about as accurate as the title, and for the same reason. First Blood tells the origin story of a character we all think we know, at the mere mention of his name: Rambo. That name resounds like Homer Simpson’s “Doh!” in the American unconscious. Some dumb guy with a blazing machine gun, right? Perhaps a slurring Sylvester Stallone comes to mind. But not only is his character, John Rambo, actually a brilliant strategist and tactical master with a deeply embedded inner boy scout… John’s greatest crime is wanting to get a bite to eat in a small town that disdains Vietnam vets.

First Blood delves into how John suffers not only from the PTSD that haunts his mind and heart, but also his subhuman treatment at the hands of a small town police force who hunt him for no good reason. When you see this story of how war stole the soul of a seemingly primitive man, you quickly realize he’s a genius in disguise. Trained as a Green Beret, a war hero fighting impossible odds, John survives where no other human possibly could… And then he goes ahead and kicks some ass for good measure. Brian Dennehy plays a small town sheriff with major bullying issues. He sees John Rambo, a mild man walking through his town, as a violent and imminent threat simply because he’s a Vietnam vet. The sheriff sizes him up as a vet because of John’s army jacket and longish hair. Problem is the sheriff comes to all sorts of other less accurate conclusions as well, like that because he’s a vet, John Rambo is a danger to his town. When John doesn’t leave after the sheriff’s insistence, Dennehy arrests him for vagrancy, thus sparking a ferocious momentum that pushes Rambo to test the limits of his seemingly infinite resolve to survive.

It truly becomes a matter of survival when John escapes jailhouse humiliations and the sheriff’s men transform into hunters – literally out to kill him. Rambo’s on the run in the woods of the great Northwest and the movie snowballs with such intensity it grips you and won’t let you go. The escalation of events draws you into a grueling intimacy with the ultimate survivalist. This proximity to the pain and resilience of a man willing to do whatever it takes despite impossible odds is the real gift of this movie. A pre “Rambo” John Rambo stitches up his arm wound, builds traps, and slaughters wild animals as the suspense builds and the relentless sheriff’s department hunters close in on him.

At the time he made this movie Sylvester Stallone had just established himself as the underdog character, Rocky. So, First Blood was his first character of this kind. John Rambo counts as an underdog for sure but, ultimately it was this character that established Stallone as the iconic action hero. It’s how most of us think of Stallone these days and it all started with First Blood, revealing the innate perfection of that title. One of the reasons to recommend watching First Blood is that though the Rambo movies have been rolling out for years like condoms on prom night, this was before all that. This John Rambo remains untainted by marketing schemes, action figures, and polish in general. He’s raw, unfiltered and brutally pissed off in First Blood. This movie’s the real deal.

People see the name in Netflix and it says “Rambo – First Blood” so they rate it accordingly for a hollow action figure variety flick. But the only thing hollow about First Blood is the soul of John Rambo – he left it behind in Vietnam. With an 87% fresh rating on Rottentomatoes.com, it seems safe to say that this isn’t a two star movie. In fact, it will get your blood pumping and remind you of that survivor we all hold dear and deep inside ourselves. It’s that part of you that just knows you’re going to make it out of those woods alive. Seems like a perfect time for that kind of reminder these days with the hourglass emptying and the clock ticking on our very planet. If nothing else, there are also great camping tips for a bro on the move.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

Up in the Air

Free on:

Netflix

Up in the Air is a movie about mastery, specifically a man who’s mastered the art of firing people as well as the art of flying across the country to do so. But it’s also a story of vulnerability and the way it creeps up on those who think themselves experts at being invulnerable – those very same masters in their fields. So, who better to play the master of this universe than Mr. George Clooney? Nobody, that’s who. Clooney plays Ryan Bingham, a picture of efficiency both in the work of firing people and up in the air. The airport is his hometown and the actual plane his home; it doesn’t matter where because he’s happy in all of them and has created systems of comfort to keep it that way. He’s one of those speakers who inspires self-help conferences full of suits sitting at eternally long tables. He is a certified expert in his field – a dangerous position for anyone.

As they say, all things that rise must fall… and when you’re in a plane all the time it’s certainly a long way down. He loves the air up there, though it’s thin and cloudy with prepackaged politeness instead of human connection. And that’s just how Ryan likes it. He’d rather be anywhere than home at his sterile, empty apartment in Omaha where he spends the least time possible. Hotels are your true home sweet home, after all, when you measure happiness and success by frequent flyer miles. Thus, Ryan is a happy guy as long as he’s Up in the Air.

Enter Positive Ponytail Girl into Ryan Bingham’s world: The perfectly cast Anna Kendrick in her breakout role as Natalie Keener. She’s fresh out of college and knows everything about his industry that can be learned in a classroom. In fact, Natalie knows so much about Bingham’s business of outsourced corporate firing, she’s at Ryan’s company to revolutionize the entire enterprise. Her first order of business: grounding Bingham and all his coworkers. In other words, murdering his bliss. He’s horrified at the prospect of losing his 322 travel days per year / his greatest point of pride. If there’s one thing Ryan doesn’t want it’s actually living day after day in his barren apartment in Omaha. This man’s only truly alive Up in the Air. But if that’s Ryan’s weakness, all knowing Natalie has an even more glaring Achilles. She’s never actually fired anyone. So, her proposition for computer conference methods of terminating people in bummer Skype calls all over the world may just be a pipe dream when put into practice. At least that’s what Bingham sets out to prove upon hearing her plans for his company.

Meanwhile in his life on the road Ryan’s develops a connection (in and out of the sack) with Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga), a frequent business traveler who shares his particular joys and woes of loyalty cards, free cookies, and priority check-in. As they bond romantically and playfully awaken Natalie to the realities of business outside the classroom it starts to feel like Up in the Air may tiptoe into romantic comedy territory. But then Bingham is tasked with convincing his sister’s fiancé to marry her when the guy gets cold feet on their wedding day. Though Ryan’s a master at easing the bite of words like “termination” and “fired,” with softer terms like “career transition counseling,” when it comes to talking about marriage he’s downright klunky. He agrees that, yes, there is no point and it’s true and we do all die alone anyway. Then Bingham realizes he’s not in that room for his own sake, really, but for his sister. So, he locks into mentor mode and delivers just the speech needed to do the job. The wedding is on like Donkey Kong.

From this wedding forward surprise twists and turns shift Up in the Air away from weddings days and romance into everyday reality, sending Ryan’s proverbial plane into a tailspin. Even as Bingham hits the bullseye on many of his life goals, he finds himself preoccupied and barely participating. He made a real connection with both of the two women in his life, Natalie and Alex, to the point that they turned his plane around and his worldview shifted thanks to them. But does that mean Ryan will ever really land that plane land and become a changed man?

This is a smart and funny movie but it’s also refreshingly unexpected in many ways. Although Clooney is the star, Farmiga and Kendrick hold their own with distinct and unique characters at different ends of the spectrum. The three characters are equally significant to the story because they have such a powerful impact on each other. Ultimately, it’s a movie about making connections, whether at the airport, in the boardroom, or in the bedroom.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

Damages

Free on:

Netflix

I binge watched Damages before House of Cards made binge watching a thing. That was because I didn’t hear about it until the show was only available either on DirectTV or iTunes. It gripped me so tightly I would download it on my iphone and watch it on the subway commute with headphones. Because I always use subtitles when I watch stuff, I made lots of friends with my Damages episodes on the train. The people sitting on either side of me couldn’t help themselves and read the subtitles over my shoulder. We watched the thrilling escapades and gasped together while a multitude of shocking events transpired on my tiny screen, a trio of strangers on the train. Damages, above all its many fine qualities, is one of those shows that just grabs you and doesn’t let go.

Damages was truly groundbreaking. It forged the pathway for women characters of substance and contradiction like Diane Lockhart on The Good Wife and Carrie Mathison on Homeland. This was thanks to the character Patty Hewes, the iconic cutthroat lawyer with an iron will and an empty cavern in her chest where a heart may have once beaten. Played by Glenn Close, Ms. Hewes terrifies all she encounters and for good reason; she mainly fights the monsters of our modern world, the Madoffs, the toxic waste creators, the mafia, and corporate malfeasance as a rule. Each season of the show is set on a single high stakes lawsuit and delves into perpetrator attempts to cover up the very same truths Patty is continually uncovering. But the real dirt flies on the sidelines in Patty’s life and those of her firm’s associates, especially Ellen played by Rose Byrne and Tom, Tate Donovan. There are just as many thrills in their private lives: murder, sex, drugs, bribery, and pretty much every other illicit act one can imagine.

All four* seasons enthrall equally with their non-linear storytelling that teases you at episode onset and pulls you into the thrill of the story. Amazing and complex characters make it all feel real. Not just Glenn Close as Patty Hewes but phenomenal actors such as Ted Danson, Lily Tomlin, Timothy Olyphant, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, John Goodman and many more bring thrills, shame, and mischief to life in every second of the the action. It’s riveting stuff that reaches deep into what makes people tick – namely those seven sins you’ve heard so much about. Everybody has secrets and it’s all interwoven so expertly with legal cases “ripped from the headlines” that it feels familiar while still shocking and amazing at every plot turn. Most of the time you won’t know who to root for because everybody takes their turn at villainy and they’ve all got a sad story in their sack labeled “personal history.” You’ll feel lots of things for the characters, Patty Hewes most of all. Her smiles are malicious nails in the coffins of her enemies… and sometimes her closest allies.

Here’s a rundown of each season’s raison d’etre but please keep in mind that they are all smashing good times that will break your heart, force you to question your stance on various ethical issues, and all the while keep you glued to the screen:

Season one appears at first light to tell Bernie Madoff’s story until you notice that it aired before he was even caught. It’s more about insider trading and similar scumbaggery all wrapped up in a burrito of prostitutes and blow after a stunning amuse bouche of murder. Ted Danson stays with you long after the season is over as the unforgettable narcissistic douchebag, Arthur Frobisher.

Season two is about a corporation dumping toxic waste into lakes in the South and it’s so exceptional you’ll feel the same thrall and intensity you got watching movies like The Insider and Michael Clayton. William Hurt and Marcia Gay Harden compel and repel each other and the audience as labyrinthine characters skirting between secrets and lies at every twist of the spiraling plot.

Season three tackles the Madoff story, changing critical elements while retaining the resonant core of the tale’s stinging truth. Martin Short and Lily Tomlin turn the stomach and compel in their creepiness as two of those left behind when the Madoff character kills himself the night before he goes to prison. This season devastates in an entirely new way when a major character gets killed off and it turns out they were one of the ruined victims of Madoff’s machinations.

Season four enters the political sphere taking us to Afghanistan with a company called High Star, eerily reminiscent of Halliburton and war vets with issues up the wazoo. An exceptional John Goodman plays a CEO who fancies himself a terrorist eradicator and part time preacher, imparting the words of Jesus while he orders torture in tandem. Meanwhile the Damages regulars engage in fresh new transgressions and boundary breaches with such dramatic acumen we can’t help but forgive Rose Byrne for the horrendous bangs she sports all season.

* The first four seasons are thrilling and free on Netflix but if you want to see season five with the series finale you gotta shell out $25 on iTunes or amazon.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 🙂

City of God

Free on:

Amazon Prime

Netflix

If you mention the movie City of God to someone who’s seen it they’ll likely grab your arm.

“Oh my God!” they’ll say and then clutch their heart, “Such a good movie!”

No matter when they saw it they remember how it struck them in the chest and left them breathless. It’s a small movie but so gripping, overwhelming, and real that it feels big budget. Set in the heart of a Rio you’ve never seen before, it’s got the familiar music and the bright colors but it’s also filled with dirt and gangs of young kids wielding guns.

Without being a horror movie, this movie still terrifies. It terrifies in a heartbreaking adrenaline rush portraying real-life events in the slums of Rio de Janeiro. It horrifies. It feels apocalyptic. The end is near due to all encompassing danger… Only the killer zombies in City of God are children. A

Lord of the Flies

feeling resonates throughout the movie as well because these ignored, neglected kids are running the slums.

City of God doesn’t just get its overwhelming feeling from the wild ride of kids waving guns around whimsically. It’s shot in a kaleidoscope of bright, thoughtful handheld camera work, up close and personal with all the color, passion, and grit of this particular part of Rio right in your face. The movie starts with a chicken chase through the narrow pathways, up and down stairs before landing on the narrator: Rocket. The movie is a thrilling race from there forward. The stories take us back and forth between time periods so that we see a “Tender Trio” of friends evolve from small fry soccer buddies into a triangle of opposite adults.

Each of them arises as naturally as leaves on a branch from their horrific home. First is Rocket: the shy, watchful innocent who always hides behind a camera. Then there’s beloved Benny, a party boy with an amazing girlfriend who plays best friend to virtually everybody in Rio. And lastly, there’s the terrifying Li’l Zé, who picked up a gun at age six and never stopped shooting. The three started out as friends at a simpler time in the 1960s when the slums were more peaceful; but the poverty, drugs, and crime that followed in the next few decades drive them down different paths, though beloved Benny does play mediator.

Just as there are three main characters, City of God intertwines a trilogy of stories. Each story feels more brutal and heartbreaking than the last until at last you can breath with the redemptive and hopeful ending that seems impossible and yet also completely true and believable. In fact, the most unbelievable thing about City of God is the fact that it’s based on a novel by Paul Lins, who grew up in the City of God. This one will catch you in its grasp from the beginning, so bring your beverages and snacks beforehand. You’re not gonna want to get up from the couch. The movie gets its claws in you and before you know it you’re enmeshed in this world you could never have imagined before and then it will stay with you forever.

… Which begs the question: When you have access to an almost limitless plethora of entertainment options, which ones should you pick?

“What’s Free Wednesday” is a weekly Fetchland feature spotlighting something great to read or watch available on one or more entertainment services. “Free” once you’ve paid for it, if you grok 😉

Chef

Free on:

Amazon Prime

Netflix

Sometimes you just want to see a feelgood movie that’s smart and captivating… but still actually entertaining. Chef hits all these targets! By virtue of its title you’d think Chef might appeal mainly to foodies but it’s for everyone. It’s not deep in the gourmand realm like Babette’s Feast or Big Night but there’s still plenty of food porn for the eater in all of us.

Jon Favreau goes back to his indie roots with this one, writing, directing and starring – like a boss. Chef feels small but combines several movie genres with ease including: feelgood comedy, road movie, and even upstart-becomes-underdog a-la Jerry Maguire. The charismatic amalgam of stars like Sofia Vergara, Bobby Cannavale, Scarlett Johannson, and John Leguizamo add spice to this already delicious story.

Appropriately titled, this is truly the tale of a chef; Jon Favreau’s character, Carl, is happiest in the kitchen. He loves what he does especially when there’s nobody telling him what to cook. Unfortunately, he works for an old school restaurateur who keeps the menu on ice – as in back to the ice age. Carl’s got dreams about serving pork belly, figuring out Twitter, and winning over the food critic who’s soured on him over the years – Oliver Platt. He’s also got a ten year old son he’s been semi-ignoring over the years who ends up Carl’s social media angel as the story rolls deep into the Interwebs.

Though generally a realistic story anyway, the tipping point scenes in Chef are welcome doses of uber reality. The first is when Carl completely loses it screaming at the reviewer while oblivious to a multitude of cell phones recording the spectacle. This is the scene where Carl wakes from his upstart slumber and realizes he’s being held back creatively by working for the man – in this case Dustin Hoffman in the tiniest role imaginable. That’s it for Carl! He straps on his rocket propulsion boots ready to change his whole life, bootstraps and all. Another great awakening happens soon after when Carl and his son clean their future food truck of the hardened filth crust from its former inhabitants. Suddenly we see how the kitchen work ethic can translate to parenting lessons that last a lifetime when he later explains to his son that he earned his chef’s knife and nobody can ever take it away.

Chef takes off a fabulous foray from this point on, crossing the southern states in a food truck named El Jefe. Carl and son sell scrumptious cuban sandwiches from El Jefe arousing a litany of tweets with each sale. Carl’s sandwiches gain social media momentum thanks to the savvy of his son who’s also surreptitiously making vines of all their artisanal escapades. He’s only ten, officially their marketing guru, traveling cross country, and bonding with Dad like a bro – it’s a tween dream. Along the way the El Jefe food truck establishes such a following that by the time they reach their final destination, LA, the town’s rolling out those Hollywood red carpets for them.

The characters are the most refreshing aspect of Chef and not just because they’re captivating in their respective roles. There’s been a trend lately in movies where tons of characters are just nasty for little reason related to story and it gets old pretty fast for those of us still clinging to Anne Frank’s winsome words about people really being good inside. The antidote for this loathsome practice lies in Chef where the people are hilariously funny without being mean; in fact they’re especially awesome. Carl happens to be blessed with the coolest most beautiful ex wife in the world, the sexiest girlfriend, and the world’s friendliest and true blue coworkers. It’s packed with good eggs and that makes it all the more fun to go along the ride with Carl.

The exuberant soundtrack also gives this flick a delightful boost – an effervescent mix of cultures that perfectly augments the colorful food and feelings onscreen. The scenes where Carl cooks and all we hear is the pan sizzle and music are some of the most delightful screen moments thanks to these carefully selected songs. A fantastic date night movie, there’s a big bow on top of Chef at the end, so if you like your conclusions tied up in the neatest, most perfect packages – you know what to watch next on Netflix or Amazon Prime.